Fabric covered button construction



March 31, 1964 M. F. ADINOLFI ETAL 3,126,602

FABRIC COVERED BUTTON CONSTRUCTION Filed March 16, 1962 {Z INVEAIITORS MICHAELEADHJOLF! IRVING BUDD J IL BY ATTORN EYS 3,126,602 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 FABRIC COVERED BUTTON CONSTRUCTIUN Michael F. Adinolfi, Brookiyn, and Irving Budd,

Lawrence, Long Island, N.Y., assignors to Empire State Metal Products, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 18%,103 2 (Zliairns. (Cl. 24-113) Our invention relates to a fabric covered button construction and more particularly to an improved construction which facilitates the assembly of the fabric on the supporting shell of the button.

There are known in the prior art assemblies for forming fabric covered buttons. These assemblies, which are intended primarily for home use, include a fabricsupporting shell and a device for clamping a piece of fabric in position over the shell. The operation of clamping the fabric in position on the shell is a rather diflicult one in assemblies of the prior art. When the fabric has been placed over the shell and the edges drawn around the back of the shell it is diflicult to locate the clamping element properly so that the fabric is drawn tightly over the fabric-supporting surface of the shell.

We have invented a fabric covered button construction which overcomes the difliculties of fabric covered button assemblies of the prior art. Our fabric covered button construction greatly facilitates the assembly of the clamping device on the button shell, thus to hold the fabric in position.

One object of our invention is to provide a fabric covered button construction which overcomes defects of fabric covered button assemblies of the prior art.

Another object of our invention is to provide a fabric covered button construction which greatly facilitates the operation of securing the fabric over the fabric-supporting surface.

Other and further objects of our invention will appear from the following description.

In general our invention contemplates the provision of a fabric covered button construction in which the fabric-supporting shell has a peripheral flange or lip extending upwardly and outwardly from an internal bead which cooperates with the clamping disk in retaining the fabric on the shell. The mouth formed by the edge of the locating flange is slightly wider than the diameter of the shell body to facilitate the locating and entry of the disk into its clamping position within the shell behind the bead.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of the instant specification and which are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of our fabric covered button in assembled condition.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of our fabric covered button construction.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of our fabric covered button construction taken along the line 3-3 of FIG- URE 1 and drawn on an enlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawings, our fabric covered button construction indicated generally by the reference character 19 includes a shell 12 having a convex fabricsupporting surface 14 and an annular wall 16. We form the Wall 16 with an internal bead 18 and with a flange or lip 20 extending upwardly and outwardly from the bead 18.

Our fabric covered button construction includes a clamping disk 22 formed with an annular bead 24 which permits the disk to flex and with a flange 26 around the outside of the bead 24. To ensure a secure clamping action with the shell and the disk in their assembled positions we bend flange 26 slightly upwardly from the plane of the disk 22 as viewed in FIGURE 3. Disk 22 carries a wire loop 28 forming an eye for the reception of thread employed to secure the completed button to the garment on which it is to be used. The surface 14 of the shell 12 is adapted to receive a fabric 30, the edge of which is turned back over the side 16 and into the shell 12 in which the fabric is retained by the disk 22.

The diameter A of the flange 26 is slightly less than the inside diameter B of the internal bead 18. We so construct the shell 12 that the width D of the mouth formed by the lip 20 is larger than the diameter C of the shell 12. While the diameter A of flange 26 is slightly less than the inside diameter B of the bead 18 when the fabric 16 is in place as shown in FIGURE 3, the thickness of the fabric is greater than the difference between diameters A and B so that the retainer or disk 22 is frictionally held within the shell. For the same reason the fabric 16 itself is frictionally held in position on the shell.

In use of our fabric covered button the fabric 30 is placed over the surface 14 of the shell 12 and its edge is folded into the shell over the lip 20. When this has been done, disk 22 is pressed into the shell to a position at which the edge of the flange 26 is behind the internal bead 18. If desired a backing element made of rubber or plastic as known in the art may be used to assist in drawing the fabric over the face of the button during the assembly operation. In the course of this operation the fabric 30 is drawn tightly over the surface 14- and the fabric body is securely clamped between the flange 26 and the inner edge of the bead 18. It will readily be appreciated that the upwardly and outwardly extending lip 24 guides the disk 22 in the course of its entry into the shell to a position behind the bead 18. In this manner the operation of putting the parts together, thus to draw the fabric tightly over the shell surface 14, is greatly facilitated.

It will be seen that we have accomplished the objects of our invention. We have provided a fabric covered button construction which overcomes the defects of fabric covered button assemblies of the prior art. Our construction greatly facilitates the assembly of the clamping disk within the shell securely to hold the fabric in position over the shell fabric-supporting surface.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed Without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of our claims. It is further obvious that various changes may be made in details within the scope of our claims without departing from the spirit of our invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that our invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A button assembly for holding a piece of facing including in combination a generally circular shell having a facing supporting surface and a peripheral wall, said facing adapted to be extended over said surface with the edge of said facing folded over the wall and within the shell, a clamping disk adapted to be inserted within said shell, means on said wall for retaining said disk within said shell to clamp the facing between the disk and the wall and -a peripheral flange forming a mouth on said wall extending outwardly from said wall, said mouth having a diameter greater than said disk and greater than said retaining means to facilitate entry of said disk into said shell, said mouth having a diameter greater than the diameter of said wall, said retaining means holding a portion of said facing in engagement with the inner surface of said flange more securely to hold said facing on said shell.

2. A button assembly for holding a piece of facing including in combination a generally circular shell having a facing supporting surface and a peripheral Wall, said facing adapted to be extended over said surface with the edge of said facing folded over the wall and within the shell, a clamping disk adapted to be inserted within said shell, an internal bead formed in said wall for cooperating with said disk to clamp the facing between the disk and the wall and to retain said disk within said shell and a peripheral flange forming a mouth at the edge of said wall extending outwardly from said Wall, said mouth having a diameter greater than said disk and greater than said bead to facilitate entry of said disk into said shell, said bead and said disk constraining a References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,717,434 Duell Sept. 13, 1955 2,860,395 Anderson Nov. 18, 1958 2,993,392 Decker et a1. July 25, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 512,528 Great Britain Sept. 19, 1939 537,766 Great Britain July 4, 1941 

1. A BUTTON ASSEMBLY FOR HOLDING A PIECE OF FACING INCLUDING IN COMBINATION A GENERALLY CIRCULAR SHELL HAVING A FACING SUPPORTING SURFACE AND A PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID FACING ADAPTED TO BE EXTENDED OVER SAID SURFACE WITH THE EDGE OF SAID FACING FOLDED OVER THE WALL AND WITHIN THE SHELL, A CLAMPING DISK ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED WITHIN THE SHELL, MEANS ON SAID WALL FOR RETAINING SAID DISK AND THE WALL AND A PERIPHERAL FLANGE FORMING A MOUTH ON SAID WALL EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID WALL, SAID MOUTH HAVING A DIAMETER GREATER THAN SAID DISK AND GREATER THAN SAID RETAINING MEANS TO FACILITATE ENTRY OF SAID DISK INTO SAID SHELL, SAID MOUTH HAVING A DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID WALL, SAID RETAINING MEANS HOLDING A PORTION OF SAID FACING IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID FLANGE MORE SECURELY TO HOLD SAID FACING ON SAID SHELL. 